Writer, Cinephile

Northfork

Synopsis: Residents of a Montana community make preparations to vacate their properties, as a dam will soon flood the local area.

Review: The very memorable vision achieved by the Polish brothers in this film has led to facile accusations from certain critics lamenting the film’s lazy approach to narrative in favour of ‘peripheral indulgences’ such as the production design, immaculate period costume, dreamy musical score, and just generally in the film’s irreverent sense of itself. Fortunately, not all critics and viewers need the hegemonic structure of an all-powerful narrative to appreciate cinematic voyages. The irony is that there is an intriguing plot mechanism and ‘logic’ to Northfork (a reverie to familial nostalgia and childhood innocence), just on a more subliminal and contemplative level than most contemporary cinema allows. (October 2005)